From: Allen Tai
To: Lara Weisiger; Ashley Zieba; Irma Glidden
Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL] 7-B Public Comment
Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2024 10:18:43 AM
Hi – one more public comment for 7-B. THANKS
Allen
From: JON HAMILTON <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2024 7:51 AM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft <[email protected]>; Tony Daysog <[email protected]>; Tracy Jensen <[email protected]>; Trish Spencer <[email protected]>; Malia Vella <[email protected]>; Manager Manager <[email protected]>; Jennifer Ott <[email protected]>; Allen Tai <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] CLASS will submit their FEIR detailed response Wednesday Nov 20th Re: OAK expansion
To: Alameda City Council members and staff
Fm: CLASS representing 3000 homes on BFI
Re: CLASS will submit their FEIR detailed response Wednesday Nov 20th Re: OAK expansion
CLASS has prepared a detail FEIR response. The Port is scheduled to vote to authorize the OAK expansion on Thursday Nov 21st. Therefore, CLASS will be submitting their FEIR response on Wednesday morning Nov 20th.
The DEIR comment letter and the draft of the FEIR seen so far by CLASS are both significant and well received. The message CLASS has been giving to its members is that City has done a great job representing the concerns of its residents.
A big thank you is in order for all that you have done.
It is our understanding that the City will also submit their prepared FEIR response prior to the Ports meeting on Nov 21st. Again, your efforts are most appreciated.
Respectfully,
Jon Hamilton
CLASS President
On 10/22/2024 11:10 AM PDT JON HAMILTON
<[email protected]
> wrote:
To: Alameda City Council members and staff
Fm: CLASS representing 3000 homes on BFI
Re: OAK expansion FEIR is out - CLASS is preparing detailed response
Here is a link to the OAK expansion FEIR just released last week:
www.oaklandairport.com/terminaldevelopment
.
In appendix P there is a lengthy list of responses documented to all inputs sent in regarding the DEIR. A quick search of the pdf (control F) will show the response to Alameda's input beginning on page P-75.
On Monday evening October 21st, CLASS authorized the expenditure kicking off the effort to produce a robust review and response to the FEIR.
It is hoped that the City of Alameda will weigh the importance of how an expansion will have detrimental impacts to the residents of the city, particularly the 15,000 residents on BFI, and respond as well to the FEIR.
CLASS stands together with the city in order to benefit the residents.
As a reminder, we have been told that on November 21st the Port Board of Commissioners will hold a vote regarding the expansion. If approved, this would kick off a 30 day period in which a lawsuit could be filed. The response made to the FEIR would play a part in this filing, hence the concern to take action ASAP.
Jon Hamilton
CLASS
From: T Krysiak
To: Colleen Liang
Cc: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella Subject: [EXTERNAL] OAK Expansion-NO.
Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2024 7:29:42 AM
Dear Ms Liang,
I’m a resident of HBI Alameda and have reviewed the DEIR regarding the proposed OAK expansion. I’ve also attended several local meetings and zooms about this important project. There appears to be too many environmental inconsistencies that are not yet fully vetted. The expansion as proposed would severely damage the City of Alameda’s environment and the increased noise levels and air pollution would negatively the quality of life and safety for the HBI community.
It is strongly suggested that the final decision for the expansion project be shelved until the detrimental effects to the health and safety of our community can be lessened. Thank you.
Respectfully Submitted,
Thomas Krysiak
Alameda, CA 94502
Sent Via My iPhone
From: Darlene Yaplee
To: Manager Manager; Allen Tai; Sarah Henry
Cc: Darlene E. Yaplee
Subject: [EXTERNAL] 11/19 Agenda Item - Critical Noise Issue Overlooked: City of Alameda"s Response to Port of Oakland Date: Sunday, November 17, 2024 12:03:00 PM
Attachments: Screenshot 2024-11-17 at 11.49.46 AM.png
City Manager Ott, Planning Director Tai and Public Information Officer Henry, The City of Alameda's letter to Port of Oakland overlooks a critical issue: the FEIR’s reliance on the outdated DNL 65 metric (FAA’s interpretation of “significant impact”) to dismiss significant noise impacts from the expansion. Highlighting this flaw is essential due to its potential legal implications for future actions.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Darlene Yaplee
President and Co-Founder
FEIR Relies on an Outdated Noise Metric and Threshold to Determine Significant Impact Currently Under FAA Reassessment The FEIR relies on the outdated 65 decibel Day Night Average Sound Level (DNL) noise criterion, leading to the misleading conclusion that a projected 33% increase in aircraft operations from 2019 to 2038 (and a 74% increase from 2021 to 2038), including more nighttime flights, will result in "no substantial increase in aircraft noise." This criterion overlooks key factors that impact residents—namely, the count of noise events (how many), and the level of noise (how loud), which the DNL metric fails to count.
Nighttime aircraft noise, in particular, poses serious risks to public health, which the criterion does not adequately account for.
It is unacceptable to approve an FEIR that relies on an outdated criterion to assess "significant" noise impact. The FAA itself has acknowledged the limitations of DNL 65 in its 2021 Neighborhood Environmental Study (NES), which prompted its current noise policy review. While change is clearly on the way, the FAA has confirmed that the new policy will not be applied retroactively. Moving forward with the Proposed Project based on this outdated standard will lock our local communities into long-term harm that cannot be corrected once the new standards take effect.
President and Co-Founder of the AICA
I am the President and Co-Founder of the Aviation-Impacted Communities Alliance (AICA), a leading national coalition representing over 90 organizations across the U.S. AICA’s leadership has earned strong endorsements, including from the Quiet Skies Caucus, which supported our recommendations for the FAA’s Aircraft Noise Advisory Committee (ANAC) in their recent letter to DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg and FAA Administrator Whitaker. Invited by the FAA in June to present on the 21st Century Noise Policy, AICA continues to shape national discussions. Our recent Noise Policy Review comment garnered 643 endorsements (13% of all submissions) and over 30 citations in the FAA’s summary, cementing our role as trusted experts on aviation noise and its community impacts.
FAA Survey Results - “a substantial increase in the percentage of people who are highly annoyed by aircraft noise over the entire range of aircraft noise levels considered, including at lower noise levels”
Link to NES study
From: Jay Seaton
To: Allen Tai
Cc: Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen; Tony Daysog; Jennifer Ott; Amy Wooldridge; Jay Seaton Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] OAK Noise Forum City of Alameda Citizen Rep Input on Oakland Airport FEIR Date: Sunday, November 17, 2024 12:00:21 PM
Hi Allen,
The City's Draft FEIR Comment Letter is quite thorough, well supported and covers most of the items I wanted to discuss. The City staff should be commended for pulling it together in a short time.
I'll limit my input to a few items that do not seem to be in the Draft. If they are in the draft, please point me to the locations.
(1) New Taxiways to mitigate the harmful consequences of congestion are not adequately analyzed or described
Currently, congestion often drives operational changes that increase noise and other harmful overflight impacts on surrounding communities. In the absence of mitigation, adding a 3rd terminal and the Port's forecasted increase in flights will only worsen congestion and its consequences. For example, the addition of new taxiway(s) (such as a new parallel taxiway parallel to Taxiway B) has been discussed with, and by the Port, in the past. Yet the FEIR seems to include no significant analysis of congestion or its mitigation and only provides an extremely vague description of new taxilanes and/or taxiways under Project Component A-2 as follows:
. . . This project component includes the development of new taxilanes and/or taxiways on all sides of the new terminal apron (Project Component A-1), new or relocated connections to existing taxiways, and reconfiguration of existing taxilanes. . . .
and no diagram of such new taxilanes and/or taxiways.
The FEIR, therefore, does not include analysis or a description of the proposed new taxiways or taxilanes sufficient to enable a reader to assess what level of congestion is currently present, the increase noise and health impacts of increased congestion, nor how increased congestion and its consequences will be mitigated by new taxiways or taxilanes in the project. This deficiency needs to be remedied in a new DEIR before proceeding. (2) The Port's forecasts seem to extend to only 2038. Given the Modernized airport will exist beyond 2038, the FEIR should include analysis beyond 2038 where applicable.
Given the Port's undue optimism, I expect they would forecast that the flight and passenger counts will increase further and drive further noise and other environmental impacts.
(3) The Port only commits to the existing Noise Abatement program and not to any process for keeping it relevant and effective for the proposed modernized airport.
The FEIT states the Port's continued commitment to the existing Noise Abatement Program (see section 3.11.3.2 revisions in the FEIR). For example, the FEIR states:
. . . Because the impact is less than significant, no mitigation measures are required. However, the Port will continue to collaborate with surrounding communities through the existing noise abatement program and will document the Port’s continued commitment to the program. . .
Given a new terminal and the FEIR's forecasted growth in flights, the Port should commit to improving/revising/strengthening the Noise Abatement Programs (with input from surrounding communities) to insure their effectiveness and not just supporting the existing program. For example, the current program is already under-staffed and under-resourced.
Additional staff and funding is needed to mitigate noise impacts from the project, as well as amendments to address known deficiencies in the program (such as, for example, no clear guidelines as to when operational expenses and efficiency over-ride noise abatement or the process for deciding such).
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Regards,
Jay
510-506-6895
On Sat, Nov 16, 2024 at 7:10 AM Jay Seaton <[email protected] > wrote:
Hi Allen,
Thanks for the response. I'm reviewing the City's revised comment letter over the weekend. I'll give you a call early or send a brief e-mail by early Monday.
Best,
Jay
On Fri, Nov 15, 2024 at 4:54 PM Allen Tai <[email protected] > wrote:
Hello Jay,
Thank you for reaching out. We’d love to hear your input about mitigation measures for the airport project. I just left you a voicemail as well. Our City Council will be reviewing a comment letter to the Port next Tuesday night, and we’d love to incorporate any suggestions you might have.
Feel free to call me or email. Thanks.
Allen
Allen Tai
Planning, Building and Transportation Director
510-747-6888
From: Jay Seaton <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2024 2:26 PM
To: Trish Spencer <[email protected]>; Tracy Jensen <[email protected]>; Tony Daysog <[email protected]>; Allen Tai <[email protected]> Cc: Jay Seaton <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] OAK Noise Forum City of Alameda Citizen Rep Input on Oakland Airport FEIR
Dear Vice Mayor Daysog, Council Members Spencer and Jensen and Director Tai, As you may recall from our paths crossing the last couple of years, I was appointed the Alameda Citizen Rep to the OAK Community Noise Forum by the Mayor in January 2023 and have also served on the combined North and South Field Research group for a few years. The biography I presented at the time of appointment is attached.
I've reviewed the FEIR and spoken with multiple citizens that reached out to me regarding their concerns and likely consequences of the Modernization project. Based on the FEIR, the feedback and my time on the N/S Field Research Group and Noise Forum, I have developed a few ideas on mitigating the project's impact.
I'm open to meeting with any of you individually or as a group to provide a summary of the input I've received and my own thoughts on the FEIR and how best to proceed.
Please let me know by return e-mail or a call if you're interested in meeting.
Regards,
Jay Seaton
1-510-506-6895